How the Starks Dunk Changed NBA History

An interesting read from ESPN on how this iconic ferocious dunk by John Starks over Horace Grant and Michael Jordan in the playoffs transformed the NBA.

Over on the New York bench, a young assistant was startled — not by the outrageous dunk, but by a strange mutation in Chicago’s pick-and-roll defense. What Jeff Van Gundy saw on that play would change the series, and inform the evolution of NBA defense over the next 20 years.

“That was the first time, late in the fourth quarter, that I had ever seen in the NBA any team force the ball to the baseline in the side pick-and-roll,” says Van Gundy.